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The bare infinitive in the present simple – with exercise

In the affirmative present simple, the forms for he/she/it use different conjugation to the bare infinitive (the “third person S” rule, for regular verbs). Otherwise you may not notice a difference, for example: I like cheese (present simple form of to like) vs I do like cheese (bare infinitive form of to like). This means that if you confuse a present simple verb with a bare infinitive, or the other way round, you will only notice a mistake in its form when the subject is he/she/it. The following exercise tests the understanding of when a different conjugation is necessary, with answers below.

Bare infinitives in the present simple – exercise

Complete the following sentences in the present simple using the verb in brackets. Should it be a bare infinitive, or a he/she/it (third person S) form?

Wilson ______ to his garden every day. (to tend)

Does she ______ any more beans? (to want)

How far does he ______ each morning? (to run)

I don’t know what she ______. (to need)

The dog ______ under the table. (to sleep)

The boat does not _____ any more. (to float)

It does ______ strange, doesn’t it? (to seem)

What ______ that new perfume you are wearing? (to be)

Does Mr Carpenter ______ here? (to live)

Let him ______ the documents. (to see)

He ______ on a train, always moving, never stopping. (to live)

Don’t _____ paper, re-use some of the scrap. (to waste)

Answers:

tends (verb)

want (bare infinitive)

run (bare infinitive)

needs (verb)

sleeps (verb)

float (bare infinitive)

seem (bare infinitive)

is (verb)

live (bare infinitive)

see (bare infinitive – an imperative statement)

lives (verb)

waste (bare infinitive)

If you have any questions, please get in touch, or post in the comments below!